§ 34. Helen JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the time taken for police to respond to emergency calls. [147123]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeMost police authorities set targets for responding to 999 calls and their performance against these targets has been published annually by the Audit Commission.
The data for performance in 1999–2000 were published on 10 January in the "Local Authority Performance Indicators, Police and Fire Compendium". This recorded that on average, police authorities in England and Wales, which had set a target, had met it 87.6 per cent, of the time. The targets set ranged from 10 minutes to 20 minutes, depending on whether the police were responding to a call from an urban or rural area.
430WIn future years, police performance in responding to emergency calls will be published in police authorities "Annual Policing/Best Value Performance Plans".